Rivian Will Give You a Discount to Trade In a Gas Vehicle for a New R1 Model

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Rivian sells two compelling EVs that have garnered a good deal of happy customers, but they’re far from affordable. At around $70,000 to start, the brand’s R1T pickup and R1S SUV are out of reach for most buyers, even after the $3,750 federal tax credits for some models. The automaker is taking steps – small ones, to be fair – to make its vehicles more affordable, though, knocking up to $5,000 off some configurations. Oh, and you’ll have to trade in a gas vehicle to get the price cut.


Buyers who take delivery of a new Rivian before June 30 can get up to $3,000 off the R1T Standard + Pack, $4,000 off the R1T Large Pack, $5,000 off the R1T Max Pack, and $1,000 off the R1S Large Pack. Those sound like generous discounts, at least until you consider that the R1T Max Pack’s price tag easily crests the $100,000 mark.


Of course, discounts don’t usually come without terms attached, and Rivian is no exception. Any configurations not listed in that list are not eligible for discounts, and the vehicles must be bought or leased through the automaker’s online shop. You’ll still have to plop down a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to buy one, and the discounts are applied at the point of sale on the site.


Finally, only a handful of gas vehicles are eligible for the trade-in offer. The list includes:

·     Audi Q5, Q7, and Q8 from 2018 or after

·     BMW X3, X5, and X7 from 2018 or after

·     Ford F-150, Explorer, Expedition, and Bronco from 2018 or after

·     Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, and Gladiator from 2018 or after

·     Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander, and 4Runner from 2018 or after


Note that those vehicles are in direct competition with models Rivian sells, so the automaker clearly wants to draw traffic away from its ICE rivals. That said, it’s unclear how much the automaker will give you for your trade-in, so it would be wise to shop around a bit before signing for a new Rivian.


[Image: Rivian]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • TheMrFreeze The American auto industry is the last large vestige of our once great industrial power...a nation like ours NEEDS industrial power of this type to survive. Case in point, at the beginning of the pandemic, when PPE and ventilators were desperately needed and our only source was China, it was the US automakers who quickly pivoted to start manufacturing them. No other industry in this country has the skill or manufacturing capabilities to do that.When you take this into consideration, plus the fact that Chinese automakers are financially supported by the CCP while US automakers function as fully free market entities, I have zero problem with a huge tariff being placed on Chinese vehicles to level the playing field. I do think, however, that the government then has the right to "remind" the Big 3 that it's now up to them to provide the affordable vehicles to fill the void the Chinese would have filled.
  • Fahrvergnugen Don't knock the Chinese so loudly. They are listening, and reading everything, keeping Naughty and Nice lists.
  • Redapple2 2026 f1 cars. Even more crappie! Tune in!F1 is crap. Garbage racing.1 must use 2 types of tires2 cant refuel3 DRS - only in certain places. in certain situations. on certain days of the week. and.... 4 same team wins 90% of races.Go IMSA !!!! or Moto GPPS- Historic Monaco races last weekend were spectacular. All 10 hr on TV.
  • Redapple2 volume meets or exceeds expectations......................... But, they always give you high annual volume to quote so they get a cheaper price. You have to tool up to that volume (costing you extra$) because if that part number reaches that volume and you cant meet it? Whao unto you. After getting burned by gm 10 yrs ago, we moved to heavy truck and agriculture products only. Steady volumes. More profits. 30 net payment. The vampire is up to 90-120 days now? Never big 3 work. Ever !
  • Tedward I was hypothetically annoyed about this until it happened to my wife. Watching her face twist into disbelieving rage once she realized that gm had sold her data to an insurance company after buying a very nice Cadillac was an eye opener though. If anyone wants a peek at the reputational damage done look at her. GM turned a manual BW purchase (and she's head over heels in love with it) into a non event as far as recos and future purchase considerations go. That's a heavy lift. I mean, she'd buy another manual BW, but there's zero talk about gm cars in general coming from her, in stark contrast to her VW love while she had her gti.
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